Are Prophecies Possible?

Hundreds of people in history are known as prophets because they are believed to have foretold the nature of important events in store for the human race. Jesus Christ, undoubtedly, is the most well known prophet. He prophesied not only the happenings in the end times but also the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. He foresaw and prophesied how his disciples would behave when he was caught and put to trial.
Another set of prophecies is attributed to ancient Judaic prophets like Daniel and Ezekiel. They prophesied the coming of Christ as well as the important events of his short life. There is no reason to believe that the events narrated in the Bible were tailored to suit the prophecies in the Old Testament.
Another remarkable set of prophecies which have not caught the attention of scholars in the West is those in the epic Mahabharata depicting the end of this Yuga that is, this phase of human history. A great deluge is what will ultimately destroy the major part of humanity. Before this, forests will be destroyed, rodents will multiply and dharma will no longer rule the lives of men and women and hedonism will replace morality.
The most remarkable prophecy in the Mahabharata is perhaps that relating to feminine puberty. The great epic prophesies that, towards the end of this Yuga, the maturity age of girls will come down and little girls will give birth to children. It is an accepted fact that, in the last fifty years, the average age of girls becoming women has come down by four months in every decade.
Prophesies of Nostradamus are more modern. In the sixteenth century, he made remarkable prophecies, many of which came true with astounding accuracy. He prophesied the rise of Napoleon, the empire building of the British, the safe air travel and many other remarkable things.
The Mayan calendar prophesying the end of the world in December 2012, and the Malachi prophesies predicting the end of papacy in the near future are perhaps the most discussed prophesies of our time.
Some believe that prophesies are but the ravings of unsound minds and some others hold that ancient writings are interpreted by pessimists who have little faith in the continued existence of the human race and some even go to the extent of portraying them as the death wish of neurotics.
It is an undeniable fact that many prophecies have come true with astonishing accuracy although many of the prophecies have been stated in equivocal terms so that we understand their significance only after the event prophesied happens. For example, the writings in the book of Revelation mean different things for different people. While some believe that the end of Papacy is predicted, some others believe that the book depicts the state of different churches of the first century.
If happenings in the future can be foreseen and foretold, such happenings are pre-decided to happen at specified times. That is, you have no control over or responsibility for the events in your life. If you are destined to murder somebody, you will commit the crime at the specified time. Your ending up in jail or on the gallows is pure fate and there is no escape from it. Nor are you responsible for such happenings in your life. Peter, in spite of his Guru’s prophecy, did what was destined.
This line of thinking reduces man to a mere tool in the hands of fate. His actions, efforts and thought process have nothing to do with his destiny. Your hard work or lethargy never affects your prosperity or happiness.
Even in India, where fatalism is almost a religious tenet, and even the highly educated people consult professional astrologers before arranging major events like marriages, fate is considered something that can be altered with prayers and poojas.
How, then, are prophesies possible?
Prophecies can be explained if we consider our concept of time from a different angle. Our division of time as past, present and future is on account of our limited intelligence which we consider absolute. Some people may be able to transcend our understanding of time. They can see into the future as we see things at a great distance using a telescope. The fictional time-machine is something inbuilt in their brains. Some prophets may have only glimpses into the future, which they themselves do not understand perfectly. Some others may have visions about future events, which appear to them in dreams.
Human mind is a sub set of the omniscient Wisdom of Nature or the Universal Consciousness. Like bubbles floating on water, which have no direct contact with the atmosphere, our minds are separated by a thin film from the Ultimate Wisdom. As long as we are trapped inside our bodies, our knowledge and perception have limitations. But some people have minds of a different or superior make.
In other words, average persons have only three dimensional understanding of the universe. Some others, the seers, have four dimensional consciousness, that is, partly or fully, they transcend the limited consciousness of the ordinary man.
Congenitally, some prophets have foreknowledge of things to come. Some others, after practicing yoga and meditation, or after being initiated into occult methods, acquire such wisdom.
Like many other occult or para psychological phenomena, prophecies are dubbed by rationalists and scientists as frauds or superstitions. But to unbiased minds, they are facts worth investigating into.